Dark Waters
by UngratefulWolf
Summary: Obscurio gets rid of the sacred spring meant to exorcise him, leading to him trapped within Toby's normal human body. Out of options, both have to learn to live as one, on Earth and Gorm. Though with time, the evil Gormiti gets to take part in more than a mere path of terror, and the water Lord and his friends will have to make do with his new 'friend'.
1. Prologue

"Nick, have you got anything for us?"

Nick looked through the library, searching for any hint that could help them break his brother out of the crown's spell. Taking a book out of the shelf, he instructed his friends.

"Obscurio might be in charge, but it says that Toby's consciousness should still be in there somewhere."

"Good to know but, he's getting away!" shouted Jessica.

Nick looked up to see Toby (or perhaps in this situation, Obscurio) running away from the fight and into the forest.

"Where is he going?" asked Lucas.

"It seems he's heading in direction of the spring!" said Nick. "That doesn't make sense, it's the only place that could possibly heal him from Obscurio's control. Either Toby's back in charge, or Obscurio's got a plan."

"So we need to follow him, got it. What about Orrore?" asked Jessica.

As she said that, the fire Gormiti appeared and landed on the ground. He however barely had the time to react, as Jessica sent a pair of tornadoes flying in his direction, shoving him onto a rock. And for good measure, Lucas threw a pair of hands at him, blowing up in his face.

Surprisingly, he wasn't even knocked out cold. But as he got up, he walked away in the direction opposite to Toby's.

"You may have won a battle, but you did not win the war!"

"Don't feel bad, you did win something." said Jessica. "The worst line by supervillain ever. Congrats!"

Both Lords of Nature left the weapons' location and went after their currently possessed friend, following the footprints he left on the forest's ground. Toby was not in the right state of mind, he could hurt himself or someone while Obscurio used his body.

As they were almost there, a blinding light came from the clearing where the spring was, making them halt. Before they got further, they heard Toby's new demented evil laugh again. This didn't sound good, they had to check what he did.

Going through the bushes, they arrived at the spring. Or what _was_ supposed to be the spring.

"The water! It's all gone!" exclaimed Jessica. "Nick, what happened?!"

"Bad news: the water of Venture Falls' lake just vanished!" said Nick. "There's none of it left! Oh no… Obscurio dried out the entire spring! We can't use it to free Toby anymore!"

The water Gormiti made his presence known as he laughed again, the Hand of Doom in his hand ready to strike.

"Think again, Lords of Nature! I've left a special enchantment inside my box, powerful enough to dry out underwater depths in case my armies were ever trapped by the Sea Tribe. This spring won't produce any water until the next century or so!" he mocked.

"You gotta try to reason with him, guys!" instructed Nick.

"Will it break him out of Obscurio's control?" asked Lucas.

"No idea, but it better! This is all we have left."

"Toby, remember that cool birthday party you had on board that pirate ship?" suggested Lucas.

Toby hesitated, remembering when they all went on board of a super cool ship. They've had disguises, sang like sailors, he even got to eat some really delicious seafood. But a feeling of nausea came along...

"Wait!" interrupted Nick. "Wasn't that when Toby ate too many shrimps and got seasick? He didn't leave the bathroom for days!"

Toby instantly gritted his teeth, sending the Hand of Doom back at them again.

"Maybe that wasn't a good memory..." said Lucas, as the Hand kept trying to hit them, wrecking the place around the dried spring.

"Toby, remember that time you scored the winning goal in the soccer finals?" recalled Jessica. "Your team carried you off the field on their shoulders!"

Toby then remembered another event. Everyone was cheering him on, carrying him after he marked the final point. They made noise for him, he had felt so proud at the time...

"That never happened!" exclaimed Nick. "Toby scored on his own net and his team lost!"

A feeling of shame filled him again once he recalled they _weren't_ cheering on him. His soccer team threw him out on the grass and he was laughing like an idiot before realizing he actually lost and pretty much made himself the school's worst soccer player for doing a beginner's mistake.

He attacked again, glaring as anger filled him again, empowering the dark Gormiti using his body.

"That's another bad memory!" cried Lucas, the situation getting worse.

"Speaking of which," snarked Jessica out of panic, "I think we're going to have one of our own right about now!"

He sent the Hand in their direction before Lucas' vines grab on the giant arm, stopping it from touching them with some struggle.

"I don't know how much longer I can hold it back!" he said. "A little help? Nick?"

"Toby! Remember that school play you were in? You were famous! Everyone talked about how great you were!"

Suddenly, an image of Toby in a royal outfit, standing on stage and talking like a king, appeared in the water Gormiti's mind. But even this time, he knew the memory was yet _another_ awful part of his life.

"Wait! Didn't he freak out onstage because of a spider?" asked Lucas.

"Yeah!" answered Jessica. "Everyone called him the king of the scared spider dance! It was a big hit on the internet!"

With rising anger, Toby broke the vines and managed to take a hold on them, grabbing them in the Hands' palm and leaving them helpless, glaring at them for all the awful things they reminded him of.

"You think? Now you've made him mad!" yelped Jessica.

"There's no escape from the Hand of Doom!" maniacally laughed Toby.

"Come on, Toby!" yelled Jessica. "Fight it!"

Toby's expression instantly changed again. Inside his mind, the blonde hero was trying to punch his way out of the darkness. He did not need to remember all that humiliation he kept going through in record timing, he'd break out by himself if he needed to.

Outside, Toby growled, his hand alternating between opening and closing, letting Jessica and Lucas escape.

"Toby's trying to regain control!" pointed out Jessica.

"Must destroy them! No, help them! Destroy them! Help them!" he repeated, the Hand opening and closing itself whenever a part of him was taking over.

"He's buying us some time!" said Lucas. "Quick, this is our chance!"

Jessica elevated herself before sending a powerful gust of wind in his direction, knocking him down onto a tree before Lucas gave the final strike using his fists.

"Sorry, Toby!" he apologized. "You'll thank us later!"

The dark Gormiti seethed in anger as his vessel's body fell into unconsciousness, forcing them both to fall asleep. He had lost the battle, but it wouldn't be over, not yet...

* * *

"What are we going to do now?" asked Lucas as Razzle made sure his friend was well tied to the chair.

"Without the spring, there's no way to seal Obscurio back into the crown. Perhaps if we had a way to bring back Obscurio's enemy, the Lord of Light Luminos, he could help. But Toby's stuck with him now."

The boy in question made a noise as he woke up, realizing he was tied to a chair in the basement underneath the house. What were they doing?! How dare they harm the mighty Obscurio?!

"This is all your fault! My fault?! None of this would've happened if you didn't possess me!" shouted Toby, looking down as his friends stared at him. "If you had shown more wisdom whilst wearing my crown, we wouldn't be here! Well, I wouldn't be 'fooling around' with it if you didn't trick me into putting it on! How dare you?!"

He started talking to himself, both consciousnesses arguing for control. Looks like riling Toby up did have some results: they at least were able to hear the real Toby talk through.

"Untie me now, minions! Or suffer the wrath of- quit it with the lame phrases and the evil laugh! It makes me go nuts! Silence you fool, I'm in- no you're not! Leave my body! I know how to make use of the power of the Eye of Life better than a brat like- Do you ever stop talking?!"

"Uhhhhhh..." hesitated Nick. "Toby, you recognize me, right?"

"Nick! Listen, this guy's- unbind me this instant you fool! You should not- hey! Don't talk to my little brother like that! Only my friends and I get to make fun of him, and you're not on the list!"

As the blonde boy trashed around, Nick exchanged a look with Lucas and Jessica. They couldn't take him out of the basement like this, it was obvious he wasn't in the right state of mind. And they couldn't leave him to rot there either, Toby had a life to live and his parents would ask where he was.

"What do we do now?" asked Jessica.

"I'll tell Mom the weather changes got to his head." said Nick. "You guys go back to school, I'll join you later."

"The bet!" shouted Toby, looking up. "I have to be there and see Jessica's face when she loses! I have to make sure my army won! I have to show everyone at school I totally kicked your butt at this contest!"

Jessica gave him an unimpressed look. "Great, they both want to lose to me. Guess that's one thing they both agree on."

* * *

"Thanks to our raffle, we have raised enough money to get our hockey team new uniforms! Go, Warriors!" announced the principal. "And the student who sold the most raffle tickets and gets to design the new uniforms is..."

"Come on!" whispered Jessica, pointing to herself.

"...Lucas!"

"Lucas?!" exclaimed Jessica, turning to her friend. "B-But how?! What did you even design?!

"The first environmentally-friendly hockey uniform!" announced Lucas, showing her a drawing that… looked a bit too familiar to her taste...

"They look exactly the same as the _old_ uniforms!"

"But _made _with all natural fibers with no dyes! I even recycled the logos from the old uniforms!" he winked.

"But how did you get so many people to buy tickets for that?"

"The hockey team liked their old uniforms. They bought all my tickets to keep things the same." he explained.

"I can't believe this!" she complained.

"Well, you'd better!" said Nick "According to the bet, the loser has to do the winner's chores for a week!"

"And since I won..." teased Lucas.

Jessica groaned in defeat, realizing she should've precised it was only between her and Toby. Toby…

"Hey! No fair, Toby won't be doing any chores while he's…" she paused, remembering they were at school. "...sick. I'll have to do all of your chores all by myself now!"

"He picked the right day to leave the school, I guess." said Lucas, trying to pass it off in a natural way.

"Well, I hope he does get better." whispered Nick. "Not sure I'll be thrilled to have an evil maniac at home for the rest of my life…"

* * *

Nick stared from across the table as he took a bite. Toby had not uttered a word during dinner, which was out of character for him. And Obscurio's whole antics earlier today made it hard to believe he was the kind to stay silent either.

His parents were chatting, talking about their travel agency and the things they've done during the day. Nick told them Toby wasn't feeling well, was acting delirious and needed some rest. He wasn't sure his lie worked, but with Obscurio around, it should've been pretty believable.

"Dinner's great, Dad." he said, trying to break the ice.

"Thanks, your brother was a great help on that." said his father. "Toby was talking on his own all the evening as if he had someone with him, but his fever's gone and he seems better now. You should've seen him shaking his hands, it looked like he was wrestling with someone!" he laughed.

"Haha, yeah…" said Nick uncomfortably. "Sounds like it was a total killer…"

"Don't think it means you won't be back in school tomorrow, Toby." said their mother. "Your brother will give you what you missed and you'll go back to class now that you feel better. I hope you're not too upset about that raffle event you wanted to attend."

Toby looked up, staring at her with a neutral expression. It took him some time to answer.

"Win some, lose some, I guess." said Toby, before putting his fork down the table. "Hey, uh, Nick. Can I show you something in my room? I thought of it while you went back to the contest. Did I win?"

"Well, sure." said Nick, getting up. "And uh, you didn't win but you didn't lose anything either, I think…"

Their parents gave a glance to both kids, before shrugging it off. Children did a lot of things they'd find unusual nowadays, at least as long as they weren't getting into harm, it wasn't a problem.

Nick gulped as he went upstairs. He hoped that if Toby got near Razzle, he didn't make him spit out any magic secret or a way to cause trouble on Earth. Without Lucas and Jessica, he'd need something heavy to get to the Primal Pad, no worries about going on Gorm yet.

Toby's expression stayed neutral as he closed the door behind him. Nick looked at his older brother, hoping there _was_ some of his older brother left. Unless Obscurio knew how to cook (and beside witch brews, Nick didn't think he could make something edible), Toby had to be in there somewhere.

The blonde boy closed his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. He was frowning, making Nick believe his brother still fought for control. Then he opened his eyes, a smile drawing itself on his face.

"You won't believe it, but we have a deal!" announced Toby, proudly putting his hands on his hips.

"...what?"

"Listen, I talked to Obscurio and told him a few things. For one, I can't stay transformed forever, my orb needs to recharge. Two, Earth is the only place a human could live in when I can't stay a Gormiti forever. And three, he won't be able to handle all of my life when he barely knows who I am in here!"

"...so, you mean…" said Nick. "...you talked things out with him?"

"It's nothing more than a mere cooperation for survival, Lord of Earth." he said, slipping into a smirk. "He can't stay on Earth on his own, so good thing I'm here to show this guy how to pass off as a human!" said Toby.

"...wow. But Toby, you can't keep him in… your body forever! This is the guy who led Magmion and all the Fire Gormitis into victory for many battles for the Gorm in the past!"

"I know, but we don't have a choice." said Toby. "Until we're separate again, we have to deal with each other. Even if it means working for the enemy."

"You're not seriously- wait, was that Obscurio right now?"

Toby nodded looking unimpressed before he glared at Nick.

So he had two people to deal with instead of only one brother now. Great…

* * *

"...and you two are in control now?" asked Lucas, to which Toby nodded.

"...and he's not going to invade our planet with his army of terror?" asked Jessica, to which Toby's eye slightly twitched before he shook his head no, annoyed, sending his friends mixed signals.

"Obscurio was Luminos' rival for as long as the Gorm has been around, he's a direct enemy of the Lords of Nature." explained Nick. "But now that he's technically one of us, all we can do is help Toby adapt."

"Consider yourself lucky of the presence of a warrior such as I, Lords of Nature." said Toby, although his friends started to doubt where it was Obscurio or Toby himself bragging.

"Well, consider yourself lucky you won't have to do Lucas' laundry and take care of his plants all week, your royal highness." grimaced Jessica.

As she said that, they spotted Ike sneaking behind Toby. They were about to warn him about Toby getting jumpy when they saw he had placed a quite big tarantula, probably from the biology lab, onto Toby's leather jacket.

"Uh, Toby. You really don't need to panic, but-"

Toby didn't even budge as he picked up the arachnid and stared at it. For a second, fear did show on his face, but immediately after, he was back to looking bored and threw it behind him.

On Ike's face. The older boy started running around in the cafeteria, repeatedly screaming "GET IT OFF!" while the other students were either following after him or laughing at the scene.

Toby returned to his lunch, a smirk of deviousness forming onto his face. Not only he'd show everyone at this 'school' he was the real leader, he'd be able to win the next prank wars with soooooooooooo much success.

"Oh boy…" said all three other Lords.

Toby's new 'friend' promised to be a challenge...


	2. Beastly

Another morning was rising onto Venture Falls. Nick guessed that for a Dark Gormiti, it must've been tedious to live in a place where the sun would always rise over the land.

Turns out it had been the least of his worries this morning. He woke up hearing noise coming from Toby's room and, fearing the worst, he went to check on his brother. As it turns out, they just had a… wardrobe argument.

Toby refused to wear his leather jacket and 'evil Toby' outfit again, and had wrestled for control for a good hour in his underwear before Nick shoved his blue shirt and pants onto him. Then he had to physically restrain himself from making breakfast. Nick didn't know what recipes Obscurio had in mind, but the look of horror his big brother occasionally showed convinced him it was for the best.

Then came saying hello to their parents. Thankfully, they were going out to check their inventory at their travel agency so, aside from a weird look when Toby told them goodbye by bowing down and saying he'd 'await their return to their domain with anticipation', nothing too big happened. Yet.

He had to tell Jessica he couldn't help her out with her posters for her and Gina's dog-walking business, he honestly didn't think anyone could be in the mood for anything with a Gormiti bad guy on Earth inside his brother's body. Even if it meant sacrificing an opportunity to finally get _Skullblasters 360_ (he could tell Toby was more outraged than he was).

Finally, Nick feared having to get him (them?) out in public, but then it occurred to him that if he left Obscurio inside their house, who could tell if he wouldn't try to get inside the Primal Pad and cause trouble again?

So he had to drag him out and hope he didn't attract too much attention. Stuff like this was why he felt he wasn't paid enough pocket money. As they went on the sidewalk, looking like they just escaped a hurricane, they spotted the young Lord of Air petting down two dogs.

"Hey, Jessica, how goes our dog-walking biz?" asked Nick.

"You're looking at two satisfied customers!" she answered. "Wow, are you guys alright?"

"If by alright you mean we spent an eternity telling Mister 'I-don't-care-if-I-get-caught-looking-evil' that he can't dress me up as an emo for the rest of my life, then yeah, we're alright." yawned Toby. "If this child finally understood you had to look the part at all times should your enemies take you by surprise, we wouldn't be here."

"Uhhhhh, oh!" exclaimed Jessica. "That was Obscurio, still not used to that."

Toby scowled at her before giving her a warm, tired smile. "Sorry we couldn't help out with your business, I wish I got to help. Then we could afford the advanced release of _Skullblasters 360_!"

"Because what I need in life are more video-game explosions? Uh, no!" she exclaimed. "Some of us need a new outfit for the Spring Fling party! I've got an outfit for early spring and another for late spring… Hellooooo? This dance is a mid-spring thing!" she sighed, as the boys gave her a confused look. "Boys!"

"Is this Spring celebration an important event to attend in this world?"

"_Well, you see, girls like Jessica love all this stuff about getting all preppy and pretty when they get the occasion to. Don't they have anything like that on Gorm?_"

"We do, but I doubt any tradition involved training the pets of the nations of Gorm."

"_It's not dog training, it's dog-walking. You take a dog, you make them walk around to stay healthy while their owners are away, and they pay you back afterward._"

"That sounds like a pathetic way to earn a living."

"_It's just pocket money, nothing too big. We usually use those to get comic books and video games._"

"What are those items if I may ask?"

"Uhh, Toby? Who are you talking to?" asked Nick.

"Uhm…" said the blonde.

"Oh wait, you and Obscurio were talking to each other? You should be careful when we're in public, people don't exactly take kindly to a kid with two minds inside his body."

"Easy for you to say, at least you don't have a horned freak inside your brain telling you what to do all day." huffed Toby, before gritting his teeth and fuming.

"Hey!" said a voice, revealing itself to be the Lord of the Forest that knocked him out two days before. "Have you guys been watching the news?"

"Not really, I couldn't focus on the sports bloopers because of Obscurio. No way to tune him out."

"Ah." made Lucas, snorting at Toby's switching expressions. "No, man! The Venture Falls zoo - last night the animals totally busted out! They caught all the animals, except for one. A lion is still on the loose - it could be anywhere!"

"You're kidding...right?" asked a worried Jessica.

As if on cue, the dogs she held leashed started barking at the bush in front of them, seemingly disturbed by something. Said bush then started shaking, to which Jessica exclaimed "Lion!" as the Lord of Earth and Lord of the Forest mimicked her expression.

Obscurio could tell Toby was panicked, though he didn't know why. He was a strong and fierce warrior, he shouldn't have to fear any creature roaming around this strange world, especially not from something as tame as a zoo.

"Lion?! Where?!" said a little voice as Razzle came out of the bush, startling the Lords of Nature and angering the dogs. And Obscurio as well.

"I was under the belief I'd be facing a fierce creature, not that babbling lizard following you children around!" groaned Toby, slightly intimidating Razzle as he started to run from the dogs.

* * *

"There are rumors in Gorm that Magmion has acquired a new steed." said Razzle.

"Drakkon!" said Toby. "I recognize him, he's the Ancient Guardian of the Lava Tribe. It's a good thing Magmion's here, I need to have a word with him."

"_Why's that?_"

"_**None of your concern.**_"

"I don't like the sound of that!"

"Erm, Ancient Guardian?" repeated Nick. "You're talking about immortal creatures that haven't been seen for, like, ever! I thought they were only legends!"

"Clearly, you haven't learned a thing from being a Lord of Nature, Lord of Earth. Dude, seriously, how do you know all this stuff?"

The mismatching in Toby's first and second phrases was a bit disconcerting, but he shrugged it off. "You like watching sports bloopers and I like to read."

"So, if Drakkon really does exist and he's been found by Magmion…" said Jessica.

"Sounds like a bad combo!" said Lucas. "Any idea how to defeat him, _Obscurio_?"

Toby rolled his eyes. "Defeat. As if you children had no awareness of my importance among the Lava Gormitis. As soon as they'll see me, you won't have anything threatening weaklings such as you are. Which is why you'd better get on my good side."

The three other Lords rolled their eyes, joined by a mental eye roll from Toby. The four children then walked to the Primal Pad and went behind their respective orbs.

"_**What are you doing?**_"

"_This is how we travel from place to place around Gorm. Let's see who gets the role of Keeper this time!_"

"_**Keeper?**_"

"Elementals!" said the children.

"Air!" shouted Jessica.

"Water!" shouted Toby.

"Forest!" shouted Lucas.

"Earth!" shouted Nick.

"Reveal to us the Keeper, and give to them your chair!" said the children as Obscurio observed what ensued. The chair near the control panel on the wall started spinning on itself.

"And the Keeper is…" said Razzle.

The chair kept spinning before slowing down and pausing with its back facing the Lords of Nature. Just then, the symbol of the Air tribe materialized onto the round screen at the back of the chair.

"Air!" announced Razzle as the dogs ran up to it. "And could you keep your furry friends off the furniture?"

"Prepare to get your Gorm on, boys!" said Jessica, reaching the chair and pushing the pets away from it, not without a look of endearment. As she sat down, the chair elevated itself in the air to the panel. "If Magmion's in the forest, then so are we!"

Light came from the Primal Pad, opening an interdimensional gate. The boys jumped into it, colors flashing through as the entire Gorm was in sight, before white surrounded their vision and they found themselves inside the Silent Forest.

* * *

"It's the forest! It's alive!" exclaimed Lucas as the giant beast went past him.

"It's Troncalion, the Ancient Guardian of the Forest!" said Toby. "All the Ancient Guardians must be returning! If only I still had Cerberion around…"

"This is weird." said Lucas. "I feel like we share an unspoken connection…"

"Makes sense." said Razzle. "You're a Forest Gormiti, and so is this guy."

Lucas put his hand on the creature's 'beard', communicating with it as soon as they made contact. "Troncalion. His name's Troncalion, and he's angry!" He then barely dodged the creature's leg as it almost trampled him, letting the Ancient Guardian run away before an energy cage appeared around it. "He's trapped!"

"Lock rocks!" exclaimed Toby. "Man, feels so weird being the one with all the info for once."

"I've never seen 'em this powerful before."

"Lock rocks?" asked Nick.

"They're devices used to keep large creatures and opponents trapped. This one is tougher than the usual, Magmion must've used a lot of resources to synthesize them." said Toby.

"And how do we disable them?" asked Lucas.

"What tells me you won't betray me and send your guardian after me, Lord of the Forest?"

"Uh, I swear I won't?" tried Lucas to a glaring Toby. "Pinky swear?"

"I demand actions." said Toby. "Orrore took me for a fool and so did you last time we fought, unless you pledge allegiance to my tribe and honor me as the leader of this quest, I shall not disclose any secret."

"_You do realize we have a library full of books on how to do it without you, right?_"

"_**Don't take me for a fool, I could tell him to do something that'd result in his harm.**_"

"_Well how about this? You hurt Lucas… and I'll lose my powers forever._"

"_**What?!**_"

"_Oh, didn't they tell you? That's a rule Razzle made. Betray a friend and you're not a Lord of Nature anymore._" he lied.

"_**Curses! The Old Sage must've known other Lords would be tempted to join Master Magor's troops.**_"

"_Magor? You have a boss? That's new. Anyway, you probably noticed, but Lucas is one to easily get himself in trouble. So if I were you, I'd hurry up and..._"

Nick and Lucas exchanged a look as Toby suddenly started growling, eyes closed and fists clenched before letting out an angered scowl. They were about to check on how to make Obscurio spit facts when he got mad.

"To disable lock rocks, you must carry the crystals at the bottom edges of the pyramid constituting the cage. Once you bring the crystals together, it'll disable the enchantment until reignited."

The two other boys looked amused and so did Jessica, appearing in a flying orb of light. Each of the boys then went in front of a crystal and picked it up, carefully approaching Troncalion before Lucas mentally asked him to bow down, allowing them to climb onto his back and joining the crystals together.

As soon as they were done, however, a shadow passed above them, one the Lord of Darkness recognized as he smirked, before all three boys were thrown off Troncalion's back.

* * *

"You're good to glow!" said Jessica.

"Elemental powers flow! Gormiti, Lords of Nature, go!"

"Strength of the Stone!" shouted Nick as his body solidified, a hurricane of rocks engulfed him and, as he was covered in a stone shell, he became a rock golem.

"Force of the Forest!" shouted Lucas as leaves and vines grew and spread around his body to reveal a plant-like being.

The only one not to have transformed was Toby, which tipped them off that something was wrong as he started walking towards Drakkon.

"Toby, what are you doing?!"

"Ah, so the puny Lord of the Sea think he can take me on this easily?" mocked Magmion. "Drakkon, rid me of him instantly!"

"You haven't changed, Magmion. One of my best commanders yet, but you shouldn't learn to underestimate your opponents, nor disrespect one of your superiors!"

"My superior?! Enough of this foolishness! Drakkon, attack!" ordered Magmion. "Why aren't you moving?!"

"Drakkon, descend." ordered Toby.

The dragon-like creature that was flying above the ground was staring as if hazed. It knew, it could sense it, this energy was familiar. It was not his Lord Magmion's, but it was still one he had learned to respect and obey. He flew down, peacefully landing as he faced Troncalion, both beasts angrily growling to each other on sight.

"What's the meaning of this?!" angrily exclaimed Magmion as he jumped down from Drakkon's back.

"I may have changed shapes, but I'm still your master, Magmion. Don't you recognize me? It is none other than me, Obscurio, Lord of the Dark Tribe."

"What's he doing?!" exclaimed Razzle.

"Is he trying to get Magmion on our side or get him to attack us?" asked Lucas.

"Obscurio? You? Ha! Don't make me laugh, Water Lord! You look nothing like my master!"

"Think, Magmion. After my banishment away from Gorm, my crown remained as a gateway for my spirit to return. This body may be different, but I remain the undefeated Lord that led our armies to battle for centuries on this island."

"_Not counting my friends beating you up or Orrore backstabbing you, of course._"

"Shush, you!" exclaimed Toby, confusing the magma Gormiti. "Now stop this charade and listen to what I have to tell you."

Magmion stepped back, Toby's words having clearly struck a nerve. So he knew about his master's crown? How could he have heard of the banishment? And why did Drakkon obey to him? Unless…

Magmion then approached the boy, who made an evil smirk that was soon wiped off as, without a warning, Magmion's tail collided with his chest, cutting his breath short as it sent him flying over to the trees, nearly knocking him out.

"Toby!"

"Don't ever think you'll be able to trick me, boy! I know my master and I know he'd never allow himself to use such a pathetic body as a vessel, even your other form isn't a much better fit for him." he mocked, jumping on Drakkon's back. "Now enough of these games!"

Troncalion projected seed bombs from his appendages, which did nothing as some invisible barrier deflected the attack. It seemed to be a mere distraction, as vines rose from the ground, capturing Drakkon's feet. It was hard to tell what was and was not a pathetic move, as the vines broke letting Drakkon fly up with his Lord riding him.

"Another feeble attempt to delay the inevitable…"

"Oh snap!" said Lucas, as he realized Drakkon was going towards them. Both he and Nick formed shields around themselves, resisting the attacks as they felt their energy depleting.

"Glow dropping fast, near-critical levels! Guys, your orbs are almost empty!" warned Jessica. "Except for Toby, check if he's okay!"

"What if he has a knife behind his back?" amusedly asked Nick.

"A knife to stab us with or a knife Magmion stabbed him with on the back?" jokingly asked back Lucas as he took over, going in front of his friend while Nick ran up to his still untransformed brother's body.

"Toby, hey. Toby, are you alright?"

"Magmion…" he hissed, grasping his pained chest. "He will _pay_! How dare he deny my words this easily, does he not even recognize his own Lord?!"

"_Told you nothing good would come out of betraying us, Obscurio. Either you help them out, or everyone's against you. No miraculous power can come to help you after that._"

With a groan, the blonde climbed to his feet, glaring at the Lava Gormiti as he stood back up.

"Alright, that does it. I'll teach him a lesson he won't be soon to forget."

"Now hold on, you're not gonna do this alone, are you?"

Just as he said that, his body shrunk down to give him the look of a human again. They were both joined by Lucas, himself back to human.

"That was intense!"

"I bet!" said Nick.

Just as he said that, Drakkon was ready to fire again at them. Though the look Toby sent him made the dragon falter somehow, he knew that look, that dark aura swirling around his being. He felt compelled to obey, even if he should've known better…

He fired his flames at the children, and just as planned, Troncalion ran up to protect them, exposing himself to Magmion's trap.

"And now, Troncalion…" he said, taking out what Toby could mistake for one of those automated modern dog leashes and letting a trail of magic wrap around Drakkon's neck and extend to Troncalion's. "You belong to Magmion!"

Toby's eyes widened as he recognized the collars appearing on both Ancient Guardians' necks. "Those collars! Magmion can control any Ancient Guardian wearing it as long as he has control over Drakkon!"

"Clever, I see, but that won't stop me! Today, the Ancients! Tomorrow, the world! _Your_ world!" announced Magmion, flying off with Drakkon as they were followed by Troncalion.

"Troncalion!" shouted Lucas.

"Don't, it's useless trying to catch up to an Ancient Guardian like this." said Toby, stretching out. "He's faster than your weak human legs, Magmion's plan will be finished if you plan to get to him like this."

"Thanks for the info, _Obscurio_, but what do you suggest?"

"Toby's the only one who didn't transform yet, his orb is still at full glow!" said Jessica. "He's got more chance to catch up to him while you two come back to the Primal Pad and let your orbs recharge."

"Are you crazy?! How can we trust this guy? This isn't Toby, this is some Fire Gormiti commander!"

"If you want to trust Obscurio, you have to make Obscurio trust you." said Toby, before getting half-confused, half-unimpressed looks at his phrase. "Look, I told him stuff about my powers earlier and he told you how to disable the lock rocks. If you want him to help, you'll have to make yourself help him first."

"_**What is this? Where are you getting at, boy? My loyalty isn't easily bought.**_"

"_Nope, but you know when to fold 'em. As long as you know you're not in a position to rebel, you're not afraid of showing gratitude to even your enemies, you're that kind of guy. The type to honor your enemies' wishes or stuff like that._"

"_**Do not make me sound like a good samaritan, war on Gorm has never brought anyone anything by being selfless, you have to work to earn yourself the service you want.**_"

"So, that should mean…" started Nick. "Look, Obscurio, I know we've been judging you since you got here, but that's because we never met anyone like you going inside one of our bodies. Last time a Gormiti got inside our head, he hurt us and Toby was the one to help us even when we attacked him. We're not on our toes because we hate you but we haven't had the best experience with this kind of situation before…"

"And you haven't exactly been the nicest Gormiti either since you came out of that thing, throwing food at us, attacking your own allies, blackmailing us into respecting you…" added Lucas. "You can't exactly expect us to work for someone who cared more about bringing us down than us doing our job, you know?"

"_You spent all this time telling them how they knew nothing of Gorm, even if you did share some of that knowledge with them. It's supposed to be a back and forth cycle, you know that?_"

As if Nick had heard Toby, he followed. "So here's the deal, we ask from you one thing and you ask something from us, deal? Let's start. Any idea of how to break the spell?"

Toby kept giving them the evil eye, seemingly taking in their proposition. He had to admit he never thought he'd end up in a position where Luminos' allies counted on him, much less one where he was reduced to being this creature they called 'Toby'.

They effectively knew nothing aside from books that couldn't replace a lifetime of experience like his, they were just children… and if the wars on Gorm taught him anything, whilst children were the most potent for future soldiers, they could certainly also be the most stubborn parts of a nation, it'd be easier to work around these Lords of Nature by playing along.

"_Bingo!_" said Toby, confirming that thought.

"If this is how one must process to get any decent henchmen around here…" he inhaled. "To break over the spell, you simply need to break the collar Drakkon is wearing. All the others will follow suit and free themselves from its power. Now tell me one thing, how do I enable this Lord's powers?"

"Toby got the Powers of the Sea. Just call upon them and the orb will grant you its power." said Nick. "You won't have much time if you use it all up though, so I'd suggest hurrying it up if you want to feel strong again." Toby huffed. "We won't take long before we come back to back you up on your little revenge."

"Then what do I owe you for that service?"

"Uhh…"

"You could help do all of Lucas' chores for a week!" suggested Jessica.

"Nice try, Jess, but I'd rather not." said Lucas, before realizing Toby was glaring at him. "I mean, you lost the bet, you gotta keep your word on it!"

"Then allow me to help with those mutts you've been walking all day." he said. "Back when I trained Drakkon with the other Ancient Guardians, one would always play the role of the leader. Find the one who takes the lead and tame him, others will know their places then."

He turned around, shouting "Powers of the Sea!" as a whirlwind of water surrounded him. A shell akin to a crustacean's carapace grew on his skin as he saw bubbles flow all around him. He felt tall again and as he looked at himself, he was back to being the Lord he was when the crown was found, letting out a fierce howl as he stood proud.

* * *

"Just got a call from Gina." said Jessica as the Lord of the Sea climbed the mountain borders near the Water Kingdom. "She said Nick and Lucas practically tamed a lion on _your_ advice."

"I suppose that means that debt is paid."

"You know, not everything comes at a price. The guys would have come in to help anyways." said Jessica. "But thanks for your concern, really helps!"

"I have an honor to uphold, and that was not the impression I was given upon learning the customs of your world. May I know what actions would repay the debt those humans owe you for taking their pets?"

"Oh, you know, money. Stuff with a value that people exchange between them in exchange for services. Why do you ask? You want a Spring outfit too?" she joked.

"Well, if that is the tradition, I would not mind giving this body a more refined look. In comparison to you, he severely neglects his appearance."

Though Toby knew Obscurio's words meant Jessica was just always busy keeping her fashionista title, he still couldn't believe they were talking fashion with someone possessing his body.

"True that." said Jessica "I always tell him and Nick that just because we keep a consistent wardrobe doesn't mean we can't look our best by diversifying, but boys like them never listen."

"Hrm, from your interactions and your clashing ideals, I am under the impression you two are currently experiencing a mere lovers' squabble."

Instantly, both of them froze. Then Toby took over just in time to sync with Jessica.

"WHAT?! NO! IT'S NOT LIKE THAT! WE'RE NOT TOGETHER! WE'RE JUST FRIENDS!"

The two of them shook their hands in denial, not realizing right away it was ridiculous when the one they were talking to was inside Toby's body. Obscurio had not anticipated such a frantic reaction. If it was not the case, he had to wonder what emotion drove them to overreact.

"We're on the same team, we're in the same class, but we're just friends!"

"It's not like we're a couple or anything, don't make it out to be something else!"

"Besides, you've almost reached Troncalion!"

Focusing back onto his mission, the Dark Gormiti took on a severe expression as he observed his destination: Destiny Valley.

* * *

"Drakkon, cease what you're doing this instant!"

"Hahaha! And you were trying to convince me you were Lord Obscurio! He would never disallow a plan as ingenious as this one!"

"_**I would not if this power didn't depend on it, you fool!**_"

"Drakkon! Listen to me, focus on my voice! I do not want a portal to Earth opened, you hear me?! So stop ordering around those Ancients immediately!"

"Drakkon! Don't listen to him, he's not your Lord, I am!"

Quite surprisingly for the Lords of Nature, it seemed the dragon was having a struggle obeying. On one hand, Magmion was telling him to keep going, and on another, his instincts were telling him the Sea Lord was the one he should follow.

Back on the shore, said Lord had an idea.

"Guys, listen, I still have some hold on Drakkon but it won't give us much time to enact this plan. He's not fully focused on the task, which means his hold on the other Guardians has been weakened."

"If we try hard enough, we could tell them to get rid of those collars!" deduced Lucas.

"Time to put our heads together and tell them to think about what they're doing!" declared Nick.

The three Lords closed their eyes and focused on the creatures in front of them. This was a new experience to them, but for all it took, they could feel the energy of their elements coursing through them by simply thinking of their Guardians.

Toby then felt something strange. He could feel Tentaclion's energy, so similar to his own, yet he could also feel an energy coming from the sky. Could it have been Drakkon? And as hard it was to believe, he could actually sense _distress_ in the enemy's Guardian, a struggle to know what his actions should lead to. Magmion was ignoring that, just like he was ignoring the other Guardians' will.

"Come on! All together!"

They brought their hands together, and a wave of energy left them, seemingly reaching the Ancient Guardians. Instantly, Roscalion, Troncalion and Tentaclion had changed directions, now aiming their weapons at Drakkon.

"No! No! Stop, that's an order!" shouted Magmion.

Toby winced as he tried to send a message to the flying creature, demanding it to be still. With a simple push of their combined thoughts, the Ancient Guardians released their attacks towards Drakkon, destroying the collar and allowing the Lords to destroy the gems on it, freeing the three giants from their magic binding.

"My Ancients!" angrily roared Magmion. "You stole my Ancients!"

"The Ancients don't belong to you or anyone!" retorted Lucas as all three took place on their respective Guardians.

"You've stepped far out of line, Magmion. I'm disappointed at how easily you took victory for granted." mocked Toby, further angering the Lord of Lava.

"Don't test my patience, boy! I don't know what spell you used to enthral the Ancients and Drakkon, but I know my Lava steed is still loyal to me! Even if I will need to correct this behavior of his once we return to Fire Mountain."

With a groan, Toby released a few water blasts from his stomach, joined by Nick and Lucas who attacked him with the help of their own Guardians. Tentaclion prepped him up with his yellow tentacles, sending the water Lord up in the air, close enough to Drakkon to knock Magmion off.

The Lava Gormiti fell on the beach, getting up to face three angry Lords of Nature.

"One of these days, Super Gormitis, I _will_ learn your secrets. And when I do, you will bow to _me_!"

"Stop blabbering and disappear from my sight before I reduce you to mere lava mould on the ground, you imbecile." threatened a quite annoyed Toby, amusing Magmion.

"Good impression, you'd almost fool me into thinking you truly are Lord Obscurio, if you didn't sound so pathetic mimicking his language! Come, Drakkon!"

Toby caught a glimpse of the dragon's face as it flew to its master. Though it a devious tint to it, his expression was one of an animal that lost its owner, one that was waiting for its owner to come back only to be separated from them again. He had a hard time believing he was that owner.

* * *

"Don't take it too bad, you'll see Drakkon some other day." said Lucas, sitting beside the blonde on the patio's step.

"It's not that…"

"If you want revenge with Magmion, he comes back to annoy us _all_ the time, you'll have your fun kicking his butt again very soon." assured Jessica.

"Not that either…"

"We only transform for emergencies, but they happen about all the time! You'll be back on Gorm in no time!" said Nick.

"No! It's just…" he sighed heavily. "I thought that, aside from that dull-headed Orrore, at least Magmion would've recognized me. I'm a mighty Lord that won countless battles on Gorm, my reputation precedes me everywhere on the island, and yet only Drakkon truly recognized me, and no one would believe him with this body I'm using…"

"_Hey! I know you don't like being stuck like this either, but this isn't so bad!_"

"It's not about the powers, it's what made it meaningful to use them." he said out loud. "With my reputation as Gorm's most feared Gormiti, I'm nothing more than another face in the crowd…"

"Wow…"

Toby's three friends exchanged a look. Who had thought Obscurio had such a sensitive soul?... unless those were just the words of a humiliated warrior, in which case he was seriously overreacting.

"Don't worry, if you keep at it, you'll definitely scare off all of Gorm again with my attitude, even if it's with my body." said Toby, his expression momentarily switching from disappointed to cheerful. "Don't forget that if you go too far, I'll lose my powers as a Lord of Nature though."

The three other Lords raised a brow as Toby winked at them, before realizing what he meant and making several sounds of agreement. They didn't know where he pulled that one out of, but it could keep Obscurio more contained for a while.

"Hmm, a heroic type of reign of terror… I actually quite like it." admitted Toby. "But this doesn't mean I've betrayed my kin, Lords of Nature. Once I've found a way to return to it, I'll resume my role as Lord of Darkness, I swear it on my status on Gorm."

* * *

"That's a pretty good haul for a day of dog-walking… until you split it five ways."

"There's barely enough for a makeup kit, much less a dress and shoes." said Gina.

Looks like they'd still have to work for those prizes for quite some time yet…

They heard a car coming by, a van that immediately parked itself in front of them. They recognized the logo as the one they saw on the news, and to their surprise, the woman that was usually sharing the news on TV was standing right in front of them.

"Excuse me, you're the kids that fought off that lion in the park today, right?" she asked.

"Um, yeah?" answered Lucas, to which Toby smirked.

"I'd like to pay you for an exclusive interview."

"Seriously?" asked Nick, smiling.

Just then, Jessica's phone rang. "Hello? Oh, sorry, no, we're officially out of the dog-walking business. We're getting into television."

The four other children laughed, amused by her antics. Toby wasn't sure what he could make of having Obscurio inside his body for the time being, but as far as he could tell, they still had enough in common to work together until things got back to normal.

In a way, it felt strange to know he technically kept him imprisoned inside his body rather than the other way around like they do it in movies. He'd better hope this demon wouldn't start spitting green acid and having his head twitch horribly…

Though for the time being, even if he missed home, Obscurio didn't seem all that upset about discovering the human world.


End file.
